The invention described in this application is an improvement over the devices described in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,802, issued on Jul. 27, 2004, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/165,641, filed Jun. 23, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,767, issued Nov. 18, 2008, and my PCT Application Serial Number PCT/US2007/011183, filed May 9, 2007, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
As stated in my U.S. patent referenced above, it has been estimated that ninety million American adults and children snore and that three in every ten adults snores. Snoring can have serious medical consequences for some people. Snoring is the first indication of a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. If not diagnosed or if left untreated, Obstructive Sleep Apnea could result in severe medical consequences such as systemic high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and even sudden death.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs during sleep when the tongue falls and rolls upward and backward blocking the airway for 10-90 seconds. These events are measured by spending the night sleeping in a center which measures the number of air blockage events per hour. Less than 5 events per hour is normal. 5-19 events per hour is mild sleep apnea. 20-39 events per hour is moderate sleep apnea. Over 40 events per hour is severe sleep apnea. For sleep apnea there are three main treatments of choice: the CPAP machine, surgery and oral sleep appliances. They are all designed to open the airway during sleep so that there is minimal or no air blockage.
Snoring is caused by vibration of the tissues due to air turbulence as the airway narrows and may be a sign that a patient is suffering from apnea. But not all snorers suffer from apnea. Snoring can be categorized by its severity. There is the snorer who snores but experiences no physical problems. Then, there is the snorer who suffers from apnea, or the snorer who suffers from upper airway resistance. In some of these people, though they may not actually experience apneic episodes, their snoring is so loud and their breathing so labored, that it still wakes them, and their partners, numerous times throughout the night.
Many spouses, partners and/or children suffer through the night from the annoying noise of the snorer. Snoring not only disturbs the sleeping pattern of the snorer himself, it is also disruptive to the family life by causing lack of sleep to all involved. This leaves all involved unrefreshed, tired and sleepy throughout the day. It can cause sleepiness while driving, reading, working or doing other tasks.
A broad variety of intra-oral and dental appliances and devices are now available to treat a patient for snoring. Some known oral devices for treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are worn inside of the mouth and work by repositioning of the jaw, moving the mandible, lifting the soft palate or moving the tongue forward. The various classes of treatment devices that now exist include mandibular advancers and tongue advancers. These appliances work by pushing (advancing) the tongue and lifting the soft palate away from the back wall of the throat. Other methods used to treat snoring include controlled positive air-flow pressure systems, also known as CPAP, which require a nose mask and which are quite uncomfortable.
Other treatments for snoring include various surgeries, which are drastic steps to take to attempt to cure the problem, however snoring can be so disruptive to a person's life and relationships, that some sufferers resort to surgery.